Shortcut Potato Cheese Soup

This comforting soup is perfect for a cool fall or winter evening. Nobody will guess that it was made in just a few minutes with a homemade Cream Soup Mix (link at the bottom of this recipe), or that it was made with dried vegetables. This recipe was developed for use in a class I taught a few years ago on using the items in your food storage. Of course if you donít have dried veggies in your storage, you may use fresh ones; the taste will be about the same, and maybe even better. The downside will be that you have to chop the vegetables, and that takes a little more time.

Iíve found that if I chop extra onions, celery, green peppers, etc. when Iím preparing dishes, then pack the extra in plastic Ziploc bags and put them in the freezer, I have them ready for the days that Iím in a hurry. These items are also available in the freezer section of your grocery store.

Dried onion is one of those staples that I always keep on my cupboard shelves. With dried onions, I can save a lot of time when making things like meatballs, meatloaves, soups, and other dishes that are moist or have liquid ingredients. There is absolutely no difference in the taste, and I donít have to chop onions or pull them out of my freezer. Dried onions are very inexpensive and can be found at any grocery store.

This soup is especially good with a square of piping hot cornbread bathed in real butter!

Slice the potatoes thinly and place them in the water along with the salt, onions, celery, and green pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Mix the cream soup mix with 2 cups of the cooking liquid and stir until smooth; add the potato mixture and bring to a boil, breaking up some of the potatoes. Turn the heat down and stir in the cheese; stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.